A controversial relaxation of planning rules for domestic properties will result in a swathe of new work for smaller contractors, industry experts claim.
The proposed rules, which cover England and are intended to boost the economy, will allow larger home and business extensions to be built without planning permission.
A month-long consultation is currently under way on the proposal to ease rules for a three-year period on developments including home extensions of up to 8 metres, compared with the current 3-4 metre limit on extensions without planning permission.
“Undoubtedly this will increase the number of residential jobs that go ahead because at the moment people can’t afford to move, which makes building large extensions an attractive alternative,” says Mike Smith, chairman of the CIOB’s Chartered Building Companies scheme. “In the current market there’s already a lot more home extension work happening, so a relaxation of the rules could mean a lot more work for smaller builders.”
A change to rules could also benefit the wider industry, said Tony Perks MCIOB, head of the CIOB’s Faculty of Building Control and Standards: “It would remove an obstacle from people potentially building, and if it works as the government hopes there will be more inspection work for Building Control officers who would be happy to do their bit to get the economy going.”
However, the plans have been criticised by some architects and some councils who argue that revising the current approach would result in a flood of poorly designed properties. Even Conservative MPs and councillors have warned that their party’s proposal would alienate many of its suburban supporters if unattractive extensions sprang up across the country. And Richmond Council has formally agreed a motion to “oppose the government’s proposals to significantly extend permitted development rights”, the BBC reported on its website.
“You can easily blight a property or a neighbour’s property by building something out of keeping,” said Kevin Dawson, Building Control manager at Peterborough Council. “Having an extension without planning approval can cause many more problems and I expect we would be inundated with complaints from unhappy neighbours if the new rules are implemented.”
The Liberal Democrats have joined the groundswell of opposition to the government’s proposed relaxation of planning laws. Delegates at the party’s annual conference backed a motion to oppose plans to allow homeowners to extend their properties without planning permission. Only three delegates voted in favour of the plans, an indication of the growing discontent within local government over what is seen as an attempt to bypass local democracy.
The Liberal Democrat-controlled London Borough of Sutton spoke out against the proposals last week, with council leader Ruth Dombey describing them as a “recipe for disaster”.
